Building record 1681/2/1 - Church of St. Andrew

A late 10th century church with additions and alterations dating to the early and late 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. Restored in the 19th century, it is constructed from coursed rubble, squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar with a lead roof. The church consists of an aisled nave and chancel, south porch, vestry and west tower.

{1} Church. Late C10, early and late C12, C13 and C14, restored C19. Coursed rubble, squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar with lead roof. Aisled nave and chancel, south porch, vestry and west tower. South elevation of chancel of 2-window range of 2-light Perpendicular windows, that to right has a transom. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet. C19 lean-to vestry is attached to left bay. South chapel is attached to far left bay of chancel. 4-light Decorated east window with reticulated tracery has shallow gable above. 3-light Perpendicular north chapel window to right has similar shallow gable above. 2-stage angle and clasping buttresses at corners. North chapel of 3 bays. 2-window range of 2- and 3-light Perpendicular windows to far left and right. Window to right has hollow reveals. Priest door to centre has segmental arch head. Polygonal stair turret with conical roof to left of centre. Tall, 2-stage, buttress with gabled finial to right of centre, has open half arch at base. 2-stage buttress to right. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet. South chapel of one-window range with 5-light window with 4-centred arch head. 2-stage clasping buttress at corner and lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. South aisle to left is of 4 bays. 3-window range with 2-window range of 3- and 4-lights to right under 4-centred arch heads, with hollow reveals. 2-light square-head window to left. 2-stage buttress at abutment with south chapel has pyramid finial and simple flying buttress to nave clerestory. 2-stage buttress between bays to right. Shallow tomb recess, to right of centre, was restored C19 and has fragments of medieval coffin slab. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapets and small gargoyles. 4-light west window under 4-centred arch head. 2-storey porch to left of centre has ashlar façade. 2-centred arch-head outer doorway set in square surround with open quatrefoils in the spandrels. Late C12 inner arch has roll moulding and one order of shafts, part missing. Shallow niche and sundial above outer doorway. 2-light, square-head, windows to ground floor return walls and blocked single-light windows to first floor. Shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapets. Square stair turret, in left corner, has chamfered outer corner at first floor and conical stone roof. North aisle of 4-window range of 3-light windows, that to right has square head, others have 4-centred arch heads. Single chamfered north doorway to right of centre and 2-stage butrresses to centre and far right. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. 4-light west window has hollow responds and 4-centred arch head. Nave clerestory of 3-window range of 2-light square head windows. Shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapets and restored gargoyles at corners. Late C10 and C14 west tower and spire of 2 stages. Lower stage is late C10 with large circular stair turret attached to west face similar to Church of All Saints, Brixworth. Long-and-short quoins at corners and single-light arch-head window to north face with evidence of similar blocked window to south face. Stair turret has 2 square-head windows and ashlar parapet with gargoyle. C14 ashlar upper stage has 2-light bell-chamber openings to each face. Moulded corbel table with broach spire above, having 3 stages of lucarnes. Interior: 3-bay nave arcade. 2-bays of north arcade are late C12 with semi-circular stepped arches with one circular pier and semi-circular respond. Flat capitals with broad flat crocketed leaves and square abaci. East arch of north arcade is Decorated, double-chamfered with octagonal pier and polygonal respond. South arcade is similar, Decorated with double-chamfered arches and octagonal piers. Perpendicular chancel arch with cluster shafts. Saxon tower arch has cyclopic unmoulded blocks representing capitals and abaci. Shallow double- and single-chamfered arches from aisle to north and south chapels. C14 two-bay north arcade to chancel, of double-chamfered arches with quatrefoil pier and similar responds. Perpendicular arch in south wall of chancel to south chapel, now organ chamber. Roofs restored C19, some original tie beams may remain. Saxon stair turret door in tower has painted head. C13 sedilia in south wall of chancel has single arch with detached shafts with stiff leaf capitals. Half trefoil-head niche to right and piscina to left. Arch-head niche to north wall of chancel. Tall Perpendicular niche to left of north aisle altar has remains of canopy and shaft with plinth for figure, at base. Piscina to right of altar. C19 stone pulpit with marble shafts. Octagonal font on square shaft. Saxon window head visible above north arcade of nave. Perpendicular screen to north chapel is said to have come from Pipewell Abbey. C19 stained glass to east windows and chapels and south aisle windows. Monuments: Lord Lyveden died 1876 by Matthew Noble, recumbent marble effigy on chest tomb. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.122).

{3} Mention in an article on Anglo-Saxon long-and-short-quoins.

{6}Turret, tower base and great arch remain intact from church of 850-900AD; church was enlarged during norman period and again in the 12th and 13th century; rebuilding and enlarging continued until the 19th century.

{8} Two undated photos;

{9} The church represents one of the most important surviving Saxon buildings in the county, which is an old minster associated with a Saxon royal estate centre. There is no obvious evidence for substantial internal or external disturbance which might have significantly damaged the archaeological deposits but there has been no archaeological investigation in the or around the church to confirm this.

In 1086 there was a priest at Brigstock. In about 1200 there were three dependent chapels, at Slipton, Stanion and Little Oakley, attached to the church at Brigstock. These may have been remnants of a much more extensive parochia encompassing the whole of the royal estate attached to Brigstock in the middle or late Saxon period.

The surviving building at Brigstock reflects the high importance of the church in the late Saxon period and its survival presumably reflects to some degree the relative decline in importance of both church and manor from the early medieval period onwards. St. Andrews is one of the best preserved of Northamptonshire's late Saxon churches. The architectural evidence would suggest that the nave, tower and stair turret are largely of late 10th or early 11th century date and probably had flanking porticus at the east end of the nave. The church was expanded in the late 12th century with a new south aisle in c.1200 and 13th century expansion of the chancel and addition of a north chapel. This was reconstructed in the 15th century and a south chapel added in the 16th century. The church was restored in 1876-7.

{11} Brigstock Church dates from the latter half of the 10th century, the west tower with half-round stair turret and nave being Saxon. The building is constructed of strong rude stone-rubble work.

{12} The church is in regular use for public worship.

{13} Taylor puts the lower part of the west tower and nave walls(above later arcades) into his periods 'A' (600-800) or 'B'(800-900.) The earlier window masonry (figure 45) has close points of resemblance with the earliest work at Monkwearmouth (Durham; NZ 402 577). The upper part of the west tower and the round west stair turret are period 'C' (950-1100).

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 15/52 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G09 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> 2005, The Archaeological Journal (162), p.190 (checked) (Journal). SNN107450.

<4> Potter, J.F., 2010, A Geological Review of Some Early Churches in the Northamptonshire Area, (unchecked) (Article). SNN107495.

<5> Davies, Rev. L.G., 1961-9, Historical Guide to the Church and Village of Brigstock, (unchecked) (Guide). SNN45539.

<6> Loxston, Rev. G.R., 1977, Historical Guide to the Church and Village of Brigstock, (unchecked) (Guide). SNN1940.

<7> Carpenter, R.H., St. Andrew's Church, Brigstock, (unchecked) (Article). SNN51764.

<8> Photographs of buildings in Brigstock (Photographs). SNN111673.

<9> Foard G., 2000, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brigstock, (unchecked) (Report). SNN101571.

<10> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 6" 1958 (Map). SNN112944.

<11> BROWN G.B., 1925, The Arts In Early England (Vol.2), p. 445 (Series). SNN113571.

<12> Seaman, B H, 1961, Field investigators comments, F1 BHS 17-AUG-61 (Notes). SNN112887.

<13> Taylor, HM and Taylor, J, 1965, Anglo-Saxon Architecture: volume 1, p. 100-105 (Book). SNN44010.

<14> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, East Northamptonshire, 11-JAN-1998, 1742 (Report). SNN112993.

<15> King's College, London, 2017, A corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, Accessed 09/06/2022 (Website). SNN110894.

<16> Historic England, Undated, St Andrew's Church, Brigstock, BF107255 (Archive). SNN113572.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 12:52PM